Jerai Grant scored a career-best 22 points and fast-starting Clemson built a double-figure lead and never backed off in beating Alabama-Birmingham 70-52 on Tuesday night in an NCAA tournament "First Four" game at the University of Dayton Arena.

Eight airports including Atlanta and Chicago's O'Hare have gained federal approval to schedule charter flights to and from Cuba, opening new gateways for Cuban Americans to visit relatives in the communist island nation and for other limited travel, authorities announced Tuesday.

Bill Belichick is closing in on Don Shula. The New England coach Bill Belichick won the Associated Press 2010 NFL Coach of the Year award on Wednesday, the third time Belichick has earned the honor. Belichick, who also won in 2003 and 2007, now trails only Don Shula, a four-time winner of the award.

The All-Joe team was born in 1992 as a tribute to Joe Phillips, a 14-year defensive lineman who did yeoman's work for the Chiefs that season. His work in the trenches didn't lead to much glory unless you point to the 29 combined sacks of Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith, Kansas City's fifth-ranked defense or the team's wild-card run. USA TODAY has honored the unsung Joes of the NFL ever since.